This is a lovely collection of stories from around the world all with a common theme: Jerusalem. They are gathered by an excellent story teller, Howard Schwartz, and retold as a group. I had been familiar with his adult books, particularly the ones that tell tales of mysticism which can be rather complex for children, and was pleased that this book really hit the mark for youngish kids. The illustrations are lovely and add to the pleasure of the book.

The video that comes with the book is excellent. Each example is numerically cued on the screen so that you can look up anything noted in the book and see an example of what is being described in the text on the videotape. This was an excellent way to present the video material. You can use the video this way to have a very informative afternoon learning about this disorder. The book is so-so. I think that Schwartz (not to be confused with Martin Schwartz, the airflow therapist) is wrong on more than a few points. By now, however, I know that no one stuttering book can serve as a primer for therapists. You need to read a great deal, be always willing to individualize your treatment for each client's needs, and be open and flexible rather than committed to any one theory or treatment method. If you are a therapist working with fluency clients, add this to your library. If you are a therapist trying to learn more about fluency, the tape and text can serve as an at-home workshop for you. If you are a stutterer seeking materials for self-therapy, this may be too academic and much too technical for you.

This is a nice collection of old testament bible stories for elementary school aged kids, written by a well known story teller of Jewish folk stories. Personnally, I found his adult oriented books more compelling and unusual. This is a more traditional set of bible ledgends, including all the old testament biggies like Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Joseph (of coat fame). It is pleasant enough, but not great. I would definitely say that it was suitable for children younger than the 9 to 12 age range indicated.

I couldn't stay awake through a single one of these brief folktales. The writing is absolutely leaden. The book claims that Schwartz has done a little bit of research -- though most of the stories are retold in much livelier fashion by other writers. I was looking for a book to use in a course on world folktales. It certainly won't be this brick. It would be enough to make a student drop a course.